Oct 17, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler (30) before playing against the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers
LOS ANGELES — Is Austin Ekeler getting demoted?
It sounds that way.
Chargers HC Brandon Staley said a “competition for carries is going to be something that you can see happening.”
“Competition for carries is going to be something that you can see happening,” Staley told reporters Wednesday, per ESPN. “We’re going to keep exploring, making adjustments, so that we can find that rhythm that I’ve been talking about. That’s certainly one way to do it. … We know that Austin is a good running back. We just haven’t found any rhythm in the last couple of weeks in the run game.”
We saw this in Week 13 when Ekeler played on just 57 percent of the team’s snaps — his fewest since Week 1 when he went suffered an ankle injury.
The decorated tailback is averaging a horrid 3.5 yards per carry and simply has not been the impact player we’ve seen over the last several years.
Maybe the ankle has had a lingering effect? Since returning from the injury in Week 5, Ekeler has yet to surpass 70 yards on the ground, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry.
The 28-year-old is in the final year of a four-year, $24.5 million extension.
